Effect of pretreatment and temperature on the drying kinetics and physicochemical and techno-functional characteristics of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)

The study was carried out to assess fresh slices and thermally pretreated pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) dried at temperatures of 55 °C, 60 °C, 65 °C, and 70 °C. The drying kinetics and quality attributes of the dried product were determined, and results indicated that the modified Page model was the best fit, with activation energies of 29.47 kJ mol(−1) and 16.06 kJ mol(−1) for drying fresh and thermally pretreated slices, respectively. A significant effect (p < 0.05) related to thermal pretreatment and temperature was evidenced on the physicochemical properties. The fresh pulp powders presented the following ranges of moisture and color (ΔE), 7.10%–8.31% w.b.; 21.23–25.23, respectively, and for the pretreated pulp powders, they were 8.94%–11.54% w.b., and from 19.00- 28.30, respectively. There were no significant effects on the techno-functional properties in the powders; cold water solubility was 5.36%–6.46%, water absorption capacity was 3.42–6.52 g/g, and oil absorption capacity was 1.00–1.30 g/g. The carbohydrate and fiber contents significantly decreased in the pretreated powder. An increase in antioxidant activity was found in fresh and thermally pretreated pulp powder at a temperature of 70 °C, presenting values between 2.23-2.98 μmol Trolox equivalent g(−1)d.b. evaluated by the DPPH method and between 40.48-45.92 μmol Trolox equivalent g(−1)d.b. by ABTS, and no significant differences (p > 0.05) were determined after pulp pretreatment. The total content of carotenoids presented retention percentages for fresh pulp powders of 52.09%, 41.92%, 30.55%, and 22.79%, while for pretreated pulp powders, they were 30.67%, 32.86%, 24.84%, and 14.71% when dried at temperatures of 55 °C, 60 °C, 65 °C, and 70 °C, respectively. The powders obtained from heat-pretreated pumpkin pulp showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in physicochemical characteristics and total carotenoids, but they were not found (p > 0.05) in the techno-functional properties and antioxidant activity evaluated by the DPPH and ABTS methods.